Ancesty sites?

ONeill2013

What are the best ancestry sites? Are any of the free ones worth using? If not, do you know any that are not that expensive.
I only can trace my family history to a great-great grandfather, just a name in a WW1 memorial book.

Ponster

Presuming that you're Irish, take a look at the Research sticky which will have all the help you need to get you started.

But to answer you're question, in my opinion for a strictly Irish family, none of the sites are worth investing in. What is best is do everything in stages. Find the marriage cert for both you're grandparents on FamilySearch and then order them for 4euro each (explained in the research thread). And from there you just work backwards, getting birth certs and marriage certs to discover the parents of the people who's cert you've ordered. If you can't wait for stuff to arrive in the post then RootsIreland have a lot of records available (5euro each afaik)

There are lots of sites like the 1901/1911 census returns and such that can help fill in the blanks but no one site that you can pay a monthly subscription to and get all the info that you need.



> just a name in a WW1 memorial book.

If you tell me his name I can check if his WWI service records are available in Ancestry which should give a next of kin or parents name.

shanew

The sources you need to research depend on the dates and locations involved. If you post a few more details we might be able to help ..
The key is always to start with what you know first hand or have documentation for, and use these clues to work back in time step by step.

Basically the Irish BMD Index is available free on FamilySearch. This gives you references you need to order possible Civil Birth, Marriage and Death research certs from the GRO by post (€4). The 1901 and 1911 Irish Census returns are available free on the National Archives of Ireland website. Parish records for most of Dublin city are available on the IrishGenealogy website, along with those for Co. Kerry, part of Co. Cork and Co. Carlow (CofI only) - also free.

See the sticky at the top of this board for more details.


Shane

ONeill2013

Ponster wrote: »

Presuming that you're Irish, take a look at the Research sticky which will have all the help you need to get you started.

But to answer you're question, in my opinion for a strictly Irish family, none of the sites are worth investing in. What is best is do everything in stages. Find the marriage cert for both you're grandparents on FamilySearch and then order them for 4euro each (explained in the research thread). And from there you just work backwards, getting birth certs and marriage certs to discover the parents of the people who's cert you've ordered. If you can't wait for stuff to arrive in the post then RootsIreland have a lot of records available (5euro each afaik)

There are lots of sites like the 1901/1911 census returns and such that can help fill in the blanks but no one site that you can pay a monthly subscription to and get all the info that you need.



> just a name in a WW1 memorial book.

If you tell me his name I can check if his WWI service records are available in Ancestry which should give a next of kin or parents name.

The person who was in the WW1 book was actually my great-great uncle and it mentioned his mothers and fathers name so therefore they would be my great-great grandparents. i've searched the parents names on some sites and the names are so common in the area you wouldn't know which was which.

name - Joseph O'Neill
died - 6th december 1915
connaught rangers

shanew

just to narrow down the location a little...

Name: Joseph O'neil
Birth Place: Magherafelt, Londonderry
Residence: Moneymore, Co. Derry
Death Date: 6 Dec 1915
Death Location: Salonika
Enlistment Location: Glasgow
Rank: A/Corporal
Regiment: Connaught Rangers
Battalion: 5th Battalion
Number: 9357
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theatre of War: Balkan Theatre

what are were his parents names ?

I'd start the search for him with the 1911 and 1901 census, using parents names etc to see if you have a match. The 1911 Irish census give you years married and places of birth - so would help on a marriage search.

Given that he signed up in Glasgow it might also be worth checking the Scottish census. The full version is only available on the Scotlands people pay-website

L1011

Also worth taking a look to see if there's a will stored in the Scottish NA for him, which would likely have a parent as his next of kin or at least mentioned on it. Doesn't appear to be one on the Irish NAI site but if he signed up in Glasgow it likely went there.

ONeill2013

shanew wrote: »

just to narrow down the location a little...

Name: Joseph O'neil
Birth Place: Magherafelt, Londonderry
Residence: Moneymore, Co. Derry
Death Date: 6 Dec 1915
Death Location: Salonika
Enlistment Location: Glasgow
Rank: A/Corporal
Regiment: Connaught Rangers
Battalion: 5th Battalion
Number: 9357
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theatre of War: Balkan Theatre

what are were his parents names ?

I'd start the search for him with the 1911 and 1901 census, using parents names etc to see if you have a match. The 1911 Irish census give you years married and places of birth - so would help on a marriage search.

Given that he signed up in Glasgow it might also be worth checking the Scottish census. The full version is only available on the Scotlands people pay-website

All that info looks correct. his parents names were lizzie 'elizabeth probably' and john i think

mari2222

And until midnight tomorrow ancestry.co.uk (you need to register but not pay) has free access to 1901 and 1911 UK census and 1901 scotland census. Normally these are not free.

shanew

ONeill2013 wrote: »

All that info looks correct. his parents names were lizzie 'elizabeth probably' and john i think

With a common surname like O'Neill you would need a bit more detail to start a search for a marriage etc.

Do you have marriage or birth certs for your direct ancestor (presumably Joseph's brother) ?
That might be the place to start...

ONeill2013

shanew wrote: »

With a common surname like O'Neill you would need a bit more detail to start a search for a marriage etc.

Do you have marriage or birth certs for your direct ancestor (presumably Joseph's brother) ?
That might be the place to start...

I don't think so but I have seen the gravestone once so would have the date of death only. Other surnames in my family are less common so i will probably have more luck with them.

shanew

some details from the Cookstown War Dead website

Joseph was a Corporal with the 5th Battalion, Connaught Rangers, born in Magherafelt, son of Joseph and Lizzie O’Neill, Rouskey, Coagh. Living and working in Glasgow at the outbreak of war when he enlisted with the Connaught Rangers. He was killed in action in Salonika on 6th December 1915.

ONeill2013

shanew wrote: »

some details from the Cookstown War Dead website

Joseph was a Corporal with the 5th Battalion, Connaught Rangers, born in Magherafelt, son of Joseph and Lizzie O’Neill, Rouskey, Coagh. Living and working in Glasgow at the outbreak of war when he enlisted with the Connaught Rangers. He was killed in action in Salonika on 6th December 1915.

yeah i've seen that site, all the info i have on his parents really. i have a feeling my mothers side of family would be easier to find

shanew

I had a quick look at the 1911 Irish census for O'Neill in the areas mentioned but didn't spot anything likely yet... but maybe the family were in Scotland by then ?

Do you have the CWGC entry for Joseph ?
Wondering if it gives an age for him....


(I can't access the CWGC website at the moment, but it does seem to be up and running)

L1011

I can't see a CWGC entry for him at all

ONeill2013

MYOB wrote: »

I can't see a CWGC entry for him at all

it says on the link a few posts up that he has no known grave

CeannRua

CWGC entry

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1651872/O'NEIL,%20JOSEPH

ONeill2013

the name spelling is strange, it should be two L's in O'Neill and it is in some war sources

shanew

dont worry about spelling of surname - these could vary depending on who recorded the details originally. You may also see the 'O' prefix being dropped in earlier records.

do you have names and years of birth for any of Joseph's siblings ?


Shane

ONeill2013

shanew wrote: »

dont worry about spelling of surname - these could vary depending on who recorded the details originally. You may also see the 'O' prefix being dropped in earlier records.

do you have names and years of birth for any of Joseph's siblings ?


Shane

Felix is the only sibling I know the name of, i only know death year, 1988 i think, lived to his 90's i think, there's a chance birth year could be 1898

shanew

ONeill2013 wrote: »

Felix is the only sibling I know the name of, i only know death year, 1988 i think, lived to his 90's i think, there's a chance birth year could be 1898

not a common firstname... might help narrow the search

wonder if this could be Felix and Joseph in 1901 living with their grandfather ?

Felix born c1897, Joseph born c1893, county of birth fits for Joseph, and he's about the right age to join up for WW1 ?

Ponster

edited : checked shanew's comment.

Hmmm, this bugger is a tough one to locate !

shanew

because the head is the grandfather of Felix, it's not 100% guaranteed that the parents of Joseph and Felix are Henry & Catherine, just that James is son of Henry, and Felix & Joseph are his grandchildren ... but does seem very likely.

Strange thing is the location (townland of Ballylifford) is not that far from Moneymore, and I didn't see any sign of Felix on the 1911... which would fit at least some of the family moving to Scotland for work..

Ponster

ONeill2013 wrote: »

Felix is the only sibling I know the name of, i only know death year, 1988 i think, lived to his 90's i think, there's a chance birth year could be 1898

This looks like it could be Felix. The parents names and location match and the age is about right. It's the only result in Co. Derry for a child of and Joesph and Elizabeth o'Neill from 1890-1900

shanew

Ponster wrote: »

edited : checked shanew's comment.

Hmmm, this bugger is a tough one to locate !

sorry - jumped to conclusions when I saw the grandparent as head of house - missed James and Catherine for a second..

Magherafelt is the registration district for Moneymore, so if Felix was from born same area as his brother, and the estimate for year of birth is about right, then his then might be worth ordering the three close matches (Jan/Mar 1897, Jul/Sep 1899 & Jan/Mar 1896) on the BMD Index to see if any have parents Joseph and Lizzie/Elizabeth

shanew

all the locations mentioned are close together - Ballyronan, Coagh, Moneymore and Cookstown - and there's a Ruskey Rd. going north from Coagh

http://goo.gl/maps/D2wby (google map).

Ponster

shanew wrote: »

... but does seem very likely.

Very likely I would think. The name 'Felix' and place-name 'Magherafelt' so close together should be investigated until one can either prove or disprove that they are related.


Because I didn't already see it mentioned:

son of Joseph and Lizzie O’Neill, Rouskey, Coagh

Coagh is in Co. Tyrone, bordering county Derry. The Ruskey road is an 8 mile stretch between Coagh and Magherafelt. In the image of Felix's birth record, Ballyronan is about hallways between Coagh and Magherafelt.

Ponster

I found this on an Ancestry forum. The bolding is mine. Note that the image in the previous posts gives Hunter as Felix's mothers maiden name.



Joseph O'NEILL was born 13 MAY 1860, and died 1923. He married Elizabeth (Eliza) HUNTER 23 JAN 1876 in Ballinderry R.C. Chapel, Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, N. IRL, daughter of David HUNTER and Susan MALLON. She was born 20 NOV 1858 in N. IRL, and died 3 FEB 1903.



Marriage #1 Elizabeth (Eliza) HUNTER b: 20 NOV 1858 in N. IRL

Married: 23 JAN 1876 in Ballinderry R.C. Chapel, Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, N. IRL
Children

1. Mary Jane O'NEILL b: 1878
2. Francis (Frank) O'NEILL b: 1879
3. Elizabeth O'NEILL b: 1886
4. Susan O'NEILL b: 28 JUL 1889 in Workhouse
5. Peter O'NEILL b: 1890
6. Felix O'NEILL b: 1891
7. Patrick O'NEILL b: 1893
8. Joseph O'NEILL b: 1895
9. Alice Trea O'NEILL b: 1896
10. Margaret Jane O'NEILL b: 19 JUL 1898

ONeill2013

Ponster wrote: »

I found this on an Ancestry forum. The bolding is mine. Note that the image in the previous posts gives Hunter as Felix's mothers maiden name.



Joseph O'NEILL was born 13 MAY 1860, and died 1923. He married Elizabeth (Eliza) HUNTER 23 JAN 1876 in Ballinderry R.C. Chapel, Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, N. IRL, daughter of David HUNTER and Susan MALLON. She was born 20 NOV 1858 in N. IRL, and died 3 FEB 1903.



Marriage #1 Elizabeth (Eliza) HUNTER b: 20 NOV 1858 in N. IRL

Married: 23 JAN 1876 in Ballinderry R.C. Chapel, Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, N. IRL
Children

1. Mary Jane O'NEILL b: 1878
2. Francis (Frank) O'NEILL b: 1879
3. Elizabeth O'NEILL b: 1886
4. Susan O'NEILL b: 28 JUL 1889 in Workhouse
5. Peter O'NEILL b: 1890
6. Felix O'NEILL b: 1891
7. Patrick O'NEILL b: 1893
8. Joseph O'NEILL b: 1895
9. Alice Trea O'NEILL b: 1896
10. Margaret Jane O'NEILL b: 19 JUL 1898

It all seems very possible but do you think Joseph O'Neill looks 19 in this photo?

http://cookstownwardead.co.uk/persondepth.asp?cas_id=95

L1011

Very very possible. People didn't look "young" in the past for long it at all in a lot of cases.

If you can get any further war records for him - enlistment or similar - that'll have a DOB.

ONeill2013

Ponster wrote: »

I found this on an Ancestry forum. The bolding is mine. Note that the image in the previous posts gives Hunter as Felix's mothers maiden name.



Joseph O'NEILL was born 13 MAY 1860, and died 1923. He married Elizabeth (Eliza) HUNTER 23 JAN 1876 in Ballinderry R.C. Chapel, Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, N. IRL, daughter of David HUNTER and Susan MALLON. She was born 20 NOV 1858 in N. IRL, and died 3 FEB 1903.



Marriage #1 Elizabeth (Eliza) HUNTER b: 20 NOV 1858 in N. IRL

Married: 23 JAN 1876 in Ballinderry R.C. Chapel, Ballyronan, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, N. IRL
Children

1. Mary Jane O'NEILL b: 1878
2. Francis (Frank) O'NEILL b: 1879
3. Elizabeth O'NEILL b: 1886
4. Susan O'NEILL b: 28 JUL 1889 in Workhouse
5. Peter O'NEILL b: 1890
6. Felix O'NEILL b: 1891
7. Patrick O'NEILL b: 1893
8. Joseph O'NEILL b: 1895
9. Alice Trea O'NEILL b: 1896
10. Margaret Jane O'NEILL b: 19 JUL 1898

just a quick question, what does being born in work house mean? was the mother living there or something?